Innovation

To develop their soil conservation efforts, Terhune partners with experts such as the Natural Resource Conservation Service, Soil Conservation District, and several universities to preserve and build their soils. They use methods such as crop rotation and cover crops to help maintain and augment their soils. In addition, they constantly invite experts to visit the farm and are very welcoming to implementing new preservation ideas and techniques.

One of the early preservation techniques the farm realized it needed in order to maximize their profits was one that conserved water. Terhune Orchards, with the aid of modern technology, has installed underground sensors to monitor moisture levels and water crops only when necessary. In addition to the sensors, Terhune uses trickle irrigation as well as drip tape to directly water the crops’ roots. With a specialized state of the art weather station that can predict local rain, farmers can accurately predict how much water crops need, and can, as a result, utilize resources both effectively and efficiently. By using water only when necessary and delivering the correct dosage to the crops’ roots, Terhune Orchards has minimized its water waste while maximizing water conservation.

Terhune is also very big on conserving energy and minimizing energy use. They have adopted solar panels on their newest barn and work hard to minimize energy use at the farm in general. They received an energy audit grant from a government incentive program, Natural Resources Conservation Service, which also made technical contributions to soil surveying and water quality improvement.

Finally, Terhune farms prides itself on their management style. Most New Jersey farms are open only during a certain season, but Terhune, through the usage of technology, is able to stay open for the entire year. As a result, they can keep most of their employees all year round, and provide stable jobs. In addition to this, they offer their employees the opportunity to rotate tasks and attend agricultural conferences that expand their knowledge and skills. By educating their employees, they give them the opportunity to succeed and earn a promotion, something that is uncommon in family-run farms.

Inspiration

After eleven generations of family-owned farming, Terhune Orchards has seen how the industry has evolved and has continued to evolve throughout the years. The Mount family farm has been located in the Princeton area of New Jersey for over forty years. With the location being so close to the esteemed Princeton University, many of the family members are alumni, giving them not only the passion to farm but also the knowledge and expertise. With frequent collaboration with surrounding universities, Terhune Orchards desire to become environmentally sustainable has become a reality as they are always up to date with recent farming techniques.

The modern technology currently used allows Terhune Orchards to be the sustainable company it is today. The customers have always been a big inspiration to Terhune Orchards, and the feedback they provide throughout the years has led the farm to become organic and offer the services it does today. Moreover, the community demanded a local farm, which led to Terhune staying open all year. As a result, all the innovations they have implemented have helped them maintain their mission of finding a balance between sustainable business and community involvement. As the industry and technology evolve, Terhune will continue to evolve with it in hopes to meet their customer’s goal, as well as their own goals.

Overall impact

Since implementing their innovations, Terhune Orchards has been able to grow rapidly. Their profitable strategies have given them more money and resources to expand their business. For instance, they were able to open their own winery in 2004, and are profitable enough to run their business the entire year. In addition, Terhune Orchards went from harvesting three crops to over fifty. They can now maintain a diversified farm store that operates year-round offering fresh fruits, vegetables, pies, and much more. The innovations Terhune has implemented allows them to make all their ready-to-eat products, with very little waste. They even host several farm festivals year-round, attracting new customers and tourists that generate revenue.

Meanwhile, the impact on the environment and the surrounding communities are long-lasting. The weather station reports help farmers augment the usage of resources on a daily basis to minimize water and energy. Therefore, over many years, this process has saved immense resources from being wasted and has been positively impacting the environment while also being profitable.

Today, the Mount family has been farming at their property for 45 years. Due to all of the innovations they have implemented, they are able to continue to be sustainable as well as profitable. Their business continues to grow and create new jobs, and they plan to continue expanding with the use of environmentally friendly practices.

Business benefit

All the innovations implemented by the farm benefit the business and the environment. Terhune Orchards is always thinking about the future of the world and the next generations. Preserving their farmland and conserving their land ensures that the family has farmable soil for as long as possible. The better preserved the soil is, the better their crops, the longer they can farm and continue growing/maintaining their business.

In addition, the technologies they utilize to save energy and conserve their water are highly profitable for the business. Many businesses stay away from investing in solar panels, as they are expensive to buy and implement. However, in the long run, companies save more money on energy by making the initial investment, than by continuing to use and pay for other sources of energy. The farm saved $8,780 on energy by having solar panels that cover the barn roof and generate electricity for the three cold storage rooms. They also had government incentives that prevented these initiatives from reducing profit margins in the short run. Similarly, by investing in underground sensors, the business maximized its water usage and completely eliminated water waste. They saved $10,800 through drip irrigation on two-hundred acres of fruit and vegetable farm. Computerized drip irrigation uses 25% of the water normally used in overhead irrigation. Again, in the long run, the investment proves to be more profitable and also better for the environment. It is clear that Terhune Orchards is dedicated to the future of the farm, as well as the future of the environment.

Social and environmental benefit

Terhune Orchards’ modern innovations on classic farming practices have significantly benefited the environment as well as the surrounding community. The process by which they irrigate their crops has saved considerable amounts of water. By using their trickle irrigation and their drip tape innovations, they have eliminated harmful water runoff that enters the soil, and eventually other bodies of water. On top of this, they use plastic mulch. The combination of all these practices has saved over three million gallons of water. Pesticides and other chemicals used in farming crops can oftentimes add a lot of pollution to the environment, but Terhune has also cut down on this by following the regulations that go along with being a USDA certified organic farm. When they installed their new winery, they used efficient chilling and cooling systems to help save energy, which has amounted to about ten thousand kWHs saved.

Terhune Orchards is mindful of their surrounding community and their environment as a whole. To be more involved in their community, they developed a school tour program, pre-school read-and-pick program and a summer camp for children. Through these programs, they are able to educate the youth about ecologically responsible farming. In addition. To reduce food waste, when they have damaged or less than acceptable quality crops, Terhune finds a use for them. For instance, bad apples get turned into delicious desserts or cider, and other damaged produce goes to feeding the livestock. Moreover, they donate food and produce weekly to the Habitat for Humanity feeding project in Trenton, NJ and periodically to Homefront in Trenton. Terhune Orchards' commitment to both the environment and the surrounding community has already made a huge impact, and their desire to be sustainable and charitable will only leave a larger and longer impact on our planet.

Interview

Reuwai Hanewald,, Co-Owner